3) Jeff McNeil
Man, it’s hard to see Jeff McNeil in the lineup every day and every inning. The Mets are likely to add a middle infielder to the roster today. All of this playing time for McNeil hasn’t helped break him out of his season-long slump. He finally did manage to pick up a hit in the finale against the Dodgers but not before going hitless in both games of the doubleheader.
Most frustrating was McNeil popping out with a chance to win it in the ninth in game one of the series. With the bases juiced, McNeil made the final out of the inning after Tyrone Taylor’s own questionable at-bat. Taylor didn’t play nearly enough in this series to be considered someone to blame above a guy like McNeil whose abilities seem to have completely disappeared.
No longer a guy who’ll hit for average, he isn’t even an average defender. He’s well below it. McNeil wears his emotions on his sleeves like an advertisement. The strong emotions in a year where the Mets have been this awful and he has been a big part of it has caused many of his adoring fans to reach a breaking point. There is no reason why he should be in the starting lineup any longer.